Previews

Viewtiful Joe 2

Spiffy:

More of the same great gameplay; new VFX power is cool; new puzzles are fun; controls are tight.

Iffy:

If you didn't "get" it the first time around, there's not much on show here to change your mind.

Due to becoming a new father I actually missed E3 2004 this year, and as such, I missed out on getting first looks at a lot of very cool games. One of the ones I was most bummed about missing was Capcom's Viewtiful Joe 2. Being a huge fan of the first game when it debuted on GameCube last year, it seemed only natural for Capcom to bust out a hard-hitting sequel. And all indications from this latest preview build are that it's way on track to providing a stellar, action-packed tongue-in-cheek title for both GameCube and PlayStation 2.

We've had a few previews on GameSpy so far, but this latest playtest goes further than before. If you've never played the original game, then you owe it to yourselves to check out our reviews, media, and especially the movies. You really have to see VJ in motion to appreciate what makes it so cool.

Essentially, there's not that much different in VJ2. A few new movies, a new VFX power, and some new puzzle twists; for the most part, it's more of the same. This is no bad thing, either. VJ2 sees Joe and his now-controllable girlfriend Sylvia return to Movieworld ready to kick some 2D ass all over again. There's new refinements, new enemies, and more new locations -- all of which have that stunning, cel-shaded graphical look and feel.

Sylvia goes to town on these two poor suckers.

I chose to take Sylvia for a spin before messing around with Joe in order to report on her character style, moves, and performance. While her melee attacks are significantly weaker than Joe's, she's the only one with projectile attacks which lead to a different, long-ranged dynamic over the original game. Sylvia is also the proud owner of the only new VFX movie in the game -- the Replay effect.

Replay basically triples the effect of either an attack, taking damage, or eating a health power-up. It'll also triple the effect of pushing a button, hitting a meteor, etc., used for solving some of the more obscure and trickier puzzles. Replay can be both a blessing or a curse, depending on your timing and use of the skill. It is a great addition to the gameplay overall, but I can't help but feel that a few more VFX powers might have been nice.

Luckily, all of the original VFX moves are in there, including the Slow, Mach Speed, and Zoom FVX powers. As the game progresses, Joe and Sylvia will re-learn these powerful techniques which are essential to success, and moreover, are important in order to execute some whopping killer combos. Combos remain the best-used method of gaining more and more VFX powerbar chunks, which in turn allow the guys to use VFX moves for longer periods of time.